Cathal Crowe (Clare, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

This was all made clear during the Covid pandemic, when it was explicitly stated that there was continued cover and that was very clear but it is less clear now for motorists and for An Garda Síochána in respect of enforcement. Does MIBI have a view on L-plate drivers? It is a similar and related question. In some parts of the country, including west Clare in my constituency, there is a waiting period of 29 weeks from when a test is applied for. At that point, the applicant will have had a minimum of 12 lessons to get to the point of being tested, while a skilled and qualified driving instructor will have deemed the applicant as ready to be tested, yet he or she could spend 29 weeks or more waiting. The problem in counties such as Clare is that parents will have seen their youngster go off to college and the lack of accommodation available to them, or this could also apply to somebody taking up employment. If a car is bought for them, that is their way of getting from rural Ireland to their place of education or work, yet they have to be accompanied by a qualified driver. Does Mr. Fitzgerald have views on that? In a raft of counties, there is not a great public transport system and youngsters, as well as those who are not so young, drive without an accompanying driver.